[APML] comet NEAT pix

["Dick Locke" <rlocke1@houston.rr.com>]

Greetings, here's a note I also sent to my local astro clubs...  While 
the images are DSLR, rest assure I'm also shooting film and will post 
when processed in the coming weeks!
=====
I have managed to post some comet pix to my web site.  I'm staying at a 
cabin in the Davis Mountains this week and using my hosts' computer, so 
managing all this is a bit of a trick ;-)

Here's the most recent, from Monday night:
<http://www.dl-digital.com/images/Astronomy/Comet-NEAT/DSC_3208-
neat=217sec-2.jpg>

and another some of you have seen from Sunday night:
<http://www.dl-digital.com/images/Astronomy/Comet-NEAT/DSC_3106-
neated.jpg> 
(note the satellite in the upper right of this one)

Photo notes: Nikon D100, camera raw, ISO 800, in camera noise reduction, 
Nikon 300mm f2.8 AIS lens at f2.8, and both are full-frame.  Mounted to 
Losmandy G11, the 1st image was auto-guided and the second was unguided.  
The effective focal length is 450mm.  As you can tell from the name, the 
1st image was 217 seconds exposure, and the second was a similar.  
Processed in Photoshop with individual channels stretched to improve 
contrast, then a black level set to 15,15,20 (RGB) with the eyedropper.  
I used Neat Image noise reduction on the 1st (seems appropriate for a 
NEAT comet, eh?)  The colors are pretty close to what came out of the 
camera...

I believe the frame size is just over 4 degrees horizontally.  I'm not 
sure how well it will show up, but there is a hint of the comet's tail on 
the original (raw) images all the way to the edge of the frame.

Visually, the comet looks best in my 15x70 tripod mounted binocs.  Naked 
eye, I can't really see a tail; perhaps there's just a tiny hint that it 
isn't round. It is much less prominent than the nearby Beehive, and it 
seems to be dimming a bit each night. 

I've had some fine weather after the first night (Saturday), when I was 
treated to a fine mountain thunderstorm complete with lots of lightning 
and a bit of hail.  I'm sure those at the Texas Star Party are enjoying 
it thoroughly.  There's a bit of a insect issue up here (small gnats or 
something; they like to fly into your ears) due to all the recent rains.  
They are mostly a problem before dark, though. It is very green in these 
parts which is unusual.

So far, knock on wood, the southern horizon has been very clear at night 
for the summer milky way's rise.  I've been up here several times before 
and there have usually been cloud/haze issues.  There's been some 
encroaching clouds to the extreme N/NE, but nothing that's prevented me 
from trying to 4+ hour star trails.  I've shot some digital and film 
images of Centaurus, Scropius, and Saggitarius.  I've also spent some 
time enjoying all the visual treats in this part of the sky with binocs 
and naked eye.  The pipe nebula is naked eye.  Getting clear access to 
this part of the sky is a real treat!

Wishing everyone clear skies,

-Dick Locke


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